In the span of the past year or so, the Masland Library has upgraded the study areas in the building in order to provide the students of Cairn University with greater comfort for the long hours of reading, a quieter atmosphere for quality study sessions, and even more advanced technology options for those of us who forget our laptops, phone chargers, or earphones all the way down in Heritage Hall. Some of these additions are obvious and exciting – others are subtle, yet essential to the academic success and the mental sanity of the students of the university. The exciting additions are as follows:

BRAND NEW headphones, ones that fit most head sizes. These headphones are classy, comfortable and sound-cancelling (for the most part). Not only will you experience quality sound, but you also get a quality look as you jam out to your tunes. No more of those clunky, old, space antennas that we used to offer. (Unless you really liked the space antennas. We still have those.)

The downstairs computer lab has been magically transformed into a quiet study space for those of you that don’t want to be affected by the not-so-whispered conversations and the sound of books dropping in the main part of the library. Use this space for individual study – NOT for group study. (We have private study rooms available for groups to have space to discuss and work together. Check out keys for the study rooms at the front desk!*) Specialities of the quiet study space involve super big and comfy chairs, large work areas (a few of which resemble dining room tables), and inspirational pieces of art to stimulate your brain.

We now have CHROMEBOOKS available for check-out! These sleek little pieces of technology are a great tool for those days when you spill your coffee all over your MacBook, when you forgot your power cord in your dorm room, or when you just want to try out some new technology. The Chromebooks can be checked out for 2 hours at a time, but they have to stay in the library. Make sure you treat them as if they were your own, because if you don’t.. Well.. it might cost you something**.

Finally, the most exciting addition of all. The Masland Library has FINALLY – after years of tears, petitions, pleas, suggestion cards, threats, and stiff backs – added BEANBAGS to your library experience. These beanbags serve many purposes, of few of which I will name.

WHAT BEANBAGS ARE FOR

Sitting on

Taking that inevitable study break nap

Hanging out with your friends in comfort (quietly, of course***)

Writing papers and doing research while feeling like you’re enveloped in a cloud

Generally enjoying because they are soft and fluffy and big and lovely and infinitely better than the chairs

WHAT BEANBAGS NOT FOR

Throwing over the second floor balcony. Seriously. No. That’s how people die.

Canoodling. Shenanigans. You know what I mean. All those Cairn couples out there.. One person per beanbag, please. PDA to the minimum, please. For everyone else’s sake, please.. Leave room for Jesus.

Eating food. These beanbags are in pristine (kind of) condition and deserve to be treated with respect to keep them as beautiful and comfortable as they are now. Also, you’re not allowed to be eating food in the library anyways****, so.. Keep that in mind as you enjoy the fluff.

Building forts. Those suckers are pretty hefty, so keep them on the floor, okay*****? It’s better for everyone that way.

Take advantage of all of these upgrades******! They are here to make your life easier, happier, and less stressful. Happy Thursday!

* Seriously. We will ask you to relocate to a noise-friendly area of the library.

** Cost you something like the price of a Chromebook. Or your technology-using privileges.

*** Seriously. We will call security to escort you from the premises in handcuffs if you can’t keep your voices down. Well.. maybe not in handcuffs, but.. Be respectful, okay?

**** Nobody likes ants and rodents hanging out by the beanbags, right? Right. Keep the crumbs in the library. Seriously.

***** Seriously. Do your back and your tired limbs a favor and leave them on the floor.

****** Seriously!! We want you to be here and we have these resources for your enjoyment and convenience.

Social Hour (reverse quiet hours) one night a week, where students can come in and talk while they do their work or just hang out.

On Mondays, the Library should have a coffee and tea bar, because Mondays are hard, and who doesn’t love coffee and tea while doing homework?

The Library should provide standing desks for those who wish to burn more calories while doing their homework. These desks also improve posture, and help the student to stay awake when they are extremely tired and doing homework.

On Thursday nights, the Library should have “Story Time with Scotty” in the juvenile book section. He would pick or tell a story that he has crafted to an audience of students, faculty, professors, and their children.

On Tuesday nights the Library should turn on Looney Toons in the upstairs computer lab, so when students need a study break they can go and watch Looney Toons. Call it “Looney Toons Tuesday”.

The Library should have therapy tea cups pigs for stressed out students to spend time with. Pigs are an animal that very few people are allergic to, so there would be no worry of allergic reactions. Pigs are also becoming more and more popular as therapy animals. With the teacup pig, it would be easier to handle and potty train, it would also not be as loud as a larger pig.

There should be an (soft sounding) intercom system throughout the library. This way when the library is closing, the student workers can announce the amount of time that the patrons have left in the library.

Student workers and supervisors should have interconnected headsets. These headsets would allow the student workers and supervisors to communicate, even when they are not all in the immediate vicinity.

In the Library, there should be a small door separating the lobby from the main library, that way, there could be soft study music playing in the lobby. This would send a comforting welcome to both the staff and patrons.

The options of movies should be updated a little more frequently. They should also be more advertised so that the students are more aware that they have the opportunity to borrow movies to watch in their free time.

As the body of Christ, it is natural to possess the desire to assist others. When visiting the library, the best assistance you can give us is to not re-shelf books. We appreciate that you re-shelf books in an attempt to help us out, but leaving that job to your fellow student workers will help us out even more.

Records are kept within library systems for the usage of books. These records let the library staff know how often books are used and which ones are most essential to the student body. Therefore, all books you use – whether you check them out or use them in the library only – need to be recorded in the system. To help us do this, please leave books on the tables, on the carts throughout the library, or bring them to the front desk and stick them in the book-drop slot.

In a library, all books are categorized and have certain “homes” within the stacks. Letting library workers re-shelf books helps to ensure that all books are in the appropriate home. If books are not in their home, they become difficult to find and are then deemed “missing.” Those poor books I bet they really miss their neighborhood friends they’re used to being around. You can help them stay happy by dropping them off on the tables, carts, or at the front desk to be returned to their home by the library workers.

Fun fact: Student workers get paid to clean up your books and re-shelf them. That’s right. With real money – not Monopoly money. By allowing us to re-shelf your books, you help us work for our money. Plus, why go through the madness of trying to re-shelf books when you don’t have to. Let us help you, by leaving the shelving to us.

**Disclaimer: If you are walking through the library and notice books within the stacks that have colored slips in them, please leave the slip in the book. Student workers who are in shelving training put those in so that the library staff can double-check them, so that they are indeed in the correct spot. This process, along with the ones mentioned above, helps ensure that when you embark on the great book-finding journey, the perfect will book will be right there waiting for you.

Student workers promote the library; but sometimes even we acknowledge you can have too much of a good thing. Here are some suggested alternatives.

1. You really need sleep, but you should be studying: You’ve been up all night, but all night wasn’t enough, and your eyelids weigh a million pounds, each.

Alternative: stay in your room. Consider sleeping 10-20 minutes. This light sleep cycle is perfect for a mind-clearing power nap, and your best sleep is bound to happen in your own bed, not at a library table.

2. You’re really hungry, but you should be studying: You’ve got a craving for potato chips. You know, and I know, that those chips aren’t supposed to be in here, what with the rustling bag and the oily finger prints.

Alternative: head to the commuter lounge. The noise level is fairly low, there’s couches, tables, computers – you can even buy your chips in the vending machines there!

3. You really want to fight with your friend/significant other, but you should be studying: you can’t seem to stop thinking about how annoying the world is, when you should be figuring out how to end world hunger.

Alternative: walk through the neighborhood. Grab a friend who will listen, or if you feel comfortable, go for a run by yourself. The creepiest people who live in that neighborhood are probably your professors, and the walking will calm your nerves and clear your head.

4. You’re really getting claustrophobic, but you should be studying: Your room, the library, the MAC, yourroomthelibrarytheMACyourroomthelibrary– MAKE IT STOP! You need a car.

Alternative: take the bus to Newtown. From the stop outside Bottom Dollar, to the stop near Starbucks, the trip is $2.25 each way. The ride is a little long, but if you want a place to study all day, that Starbucks is definitely the cutest place to do it.

5. You really want to drop out of school, but you should be studying: forget campus, forget even Newtown – that’s way too close. You might see someone you know. You might think about homework. You might have a flashback to today’s lecture. Help.

Alternative: go home. Sometimes, if at all possible, you just need your family, your room, and some good food before you venture back to the familiar face of the library front doors. And that’s okay! Even the most independent of us need a break from the sterility of library life. Take the weekend, and come back refreshed.

If we’re being honest, there are loads of times the library just isn’t your best friend. That’s okay. Before you waste hours staring at the wall, get your mind and body in the right place. And when you come back, you might actually be able to get things done.

In case you missed the first part of this blog series, I have set out to show Masland Library visitors that the library is a valuable resource for social entertainment. In Part I, I hit on some of the library’s top movies of various genres. While movies are great entertainment for large groups of people, they do not necessarily facilitate great social interaction. If there is much interaction, the movie has probably become background noise and everyone missed an important movie scene. So now I bring you to music, the perfect element to set the mood for your social events. Even you are the loner of the party Taylor Swift once eloquently stated, “People haven’t always been there for me but music always has.” Therefore, I encourage you to check out some of the library’s music and let it permeate the atmosphere of your social life.

Music

*The library’s CD collection can be found on the 2ndfloor on your left before entering the computer lab. Although I will not expound upon them here, the Masland Library has some RECORDS available to borrow. If you are retro enough to own a record player, ask us more on how to get your hands on a record.

Romantics Sampler – CD M5 .R663 1995

Let me clarify first by saying this is not a compilation of songs for a passionate date. The word Romantics refers to a time period and genre of classical music from the 18th century. This is music is called romantic because it explored the breadth of emotion in a way music had not before. Therefore, the modern music listener can find great refreshment in these pieces.

Scott Joplin Piano Rags – CD M25 .J81 P53 2004

Now these are some true American originals. Just imagine you and your friends in some small town establishment out west 100 years back, playing cards and listening to an old man tickling the ivories with some good old rag time.

Spanish Guitar – CD M126 .S62 2002

This CD is sure to bring that spice that was missing from your life. Do not forget about this one for all of your Cinco de Mayo parties.

Quartets – CD M450 – CD M457.4

While great majority of our CD’s consist of classical music, I wanted to highlight the quartet section of the collection. In Fall of 2013 the world renown Ying String Quartet came and played for our school. Some of the greatest classical music was written for such a group of players on these instruments: two violins, a viola, and a cello. Only four instruments! This music is not only for the sophisticated.

Jazz, Louis Armstrong – CD M1356 .A736 D445 2000

Jazz, Duke Ellington – CD M1366 .E461 D933 2000

Jazz, Coleman Hawkins – CD M1366 .H395 C654 2000

If you have not been sufficiently exposed to big band jazz, you are missing out on one of the greatest musical joys in life. This music may, dare I say it, make you want to dance. To give you a little more direction within these three artists, Louis Armstrong played some mean trumpet (and had a great voice!), Duke Ellington worked the piano, and Coleman Hawkins played some sweet tones on the tenor saxophone.

Star Wars Original Trilogy Soundtrack – CD M1527.2 .W721 S27 2004

It is Star Wars. Need I say more?

International Music Mix – CD M1627 .I58 1999

A little bit of this. A little bit of that. Musical flavors from all around the globe. Now you can connect with all of your multicultural friends!

Simon and Garfunkel – CD M1630.18 .S55 S5 1972

I have always considered these guys to be the original indie band. They formed a new genre of folk-rock in the 1960’s. That may seem old but their music does not sound it. Simon and Garfunkel is great for the car or chilling at all times of the day.

Soulful Music by Leontyne Price – CD M1670 .P953 1996

I cannot say I have ever listened to this lady, but I do know she was famous. The nature of the music of this album is just as the title suggests.

Manheim Steamroller, Christmas in the Aire – CD M2065 .M354 C475 1995

If you have ever listened to Christmas music on the radio, you must have heard Manheim Steamroller. I would describe them as new age electric orchestra rock going wild on Christmas tunes. These songs could put you in the holiday mood in July.

Michael Card, The Hidden Face of God – CD M2198 .C37 2006

Michael Card is an older but well known Christian artist that came to our school in Fall of 2013. This is only one of several albums we have of his, but check them all out!

The library is a place for some serious studying, which occasionally produces the heavy desire to munch and crunch. There is a sign that remind folks not to go up or down the stairs with the intentions to eat food. The library is a great place to practice integrity, so please do not ignore the sign and feed the gobble monster in your tummy that likes to scratch at your insides. If you feel as though you cannot resist, walk quickly to the lobby near the front desk and munch there for some time. Why do we ask for such a difficult request? The library has many lovely books that help many people. Some books are older than most students, if not all. We try our best to keep these books clean and stainless, so the farther they are from food the better.

The sensational smells that enter the library with patrons are not only a dead giveaway of your belongings, but they also serve as distractions to other focused students. Aromas provide different therapies for people, and the aroma of food is like a lovely poison, stimulating the brain to think the body needs food, and thus other people might feel the sudden urge to eat as well, and they lose that God given grace to focus. Please think of others and the beautiful essence of the library.

If you’re at the point in the semester where the study carrels cause claustrophobia, the open tables tempt you to torture anyone turning a page of a large theology tome, or the comfortable couches create comatose conditions – why not try a study room? Many students already know about the three conference rooms, aka study rooms, found on the first floor of the library near the Biblical Reference section. If not, though, may I, as a friendly student assistant, present an alternative to your usual homework habitation. They’re in the back of the library, so they’re secluded/ But with finals week upon us, it’s easy to unintentionally forget common etiquette that we should use in any public place.

Below are some common calamities that I have seen occurring while people are using study rooms. While studying, please use this handy list to avoid making these same common pitfalls that cause conference room catastrophe!

1. Talk in Thunderous Tones. It’s easy to think that because the study room has a door and offers privacy that the rest of the library can’t hear you. Sadly, the study room is not a vortex. Laughter, jokes, and loud study groups can all be heard outside the walls, and often distracts others. Imagine how frightening it is to be looking through commentaries on Revelation in the Biblical Reference section and suddenly hear laughter…disembodied laughter. Spare others the terror, please!

2. Chew on Chow.Covered drinks are fine – we provide complimentary hot drinks during finals week, after all. But don’t forget the library’s no-food policy! It’s tempting to want to eat in a study room because it’s so convenient and you’re already camped out, but please don’t. You will be spared the guilt of eating in a place that requests you not to bring food, and the indigestion of having to eat your Wawa hoagie quickly before a librarian walks by and notices. Please take the few steps to the back stairwell or up to the lobby, instead, to enjoy your meal in guilt-free peace. Trust me, your digestive system will thank you.

3. Steal a Siesta. One of the best parts about study rooms is how non-judgmental they are. They are available on a first-come, first-serve basis that is incredibly egalitarian – whether you are one student or a group. And like the comfortable couch on the mezzanine level, the study rooms have a sort of soporific effect on some students. This is especially true during finals week, where we stay open an extra hour from Sunday-Tuesday night. I encourage you strongly to resist these urges to sleep away when studying gets boring! If you’re exhausted, there’s nothing wrong with closing your eyes a little. But prolonged naps might not just have other students wanting to take over the study room – they might accidentally get you locked into a study room for the night (yes, that almost happened once)…or maybe just have a picture of you sleeping in the library end up on FaceBook.

4. Disremember Your Key’s Deadline. Don’t forget that the rooms are reserved for only two hours at a time (although groups can reserve them in advance through contacting Laura Saloiye). Be conscientious – you can renew your key one time, but if it’s a busy night, chances are that there are other groups waiting to study. When you’re in the middle of a project that’s worth 35% of your final grade, it’s so easy to forget that others also need the rooms… and to forget when your key is due, resulting in several unnecessary fines accrued on accounts. The study rooms are there for your needs, so take advantage of them. But don’t forget to remember the needs of others while at it. And don’t forget the whereabouts of the little key that lets you into the room to begin with!

5. Sit in Silence and Shadows While Snickering at Your Shenanigans. Yes, this has also happened before…in the dark…while another student worker and I were closing the library, initially thinking that there was no one left in the study rooms. I don’t think that I really need to talk about this one too much, but in a nutshell, I propose that this might not be the best method of handling the tension and stress of finals.

Study rooms are a great tool to help you be successful on your finals or studying throughout the year. Finals week is always crazy, but avoiding these oh-so-tempting pitfalls will help you make your study room experience during finals more productive, enjoyable, and successful. Happy studying!

Hello, college students! We all have those cravings as the semester gets farther on. The more projects we have, the later we stay up, and the hungrier we get! The commuter (or student) lounge is a great spot to get some snacks with the convenience of the vending machines. Even the new ‘keurig-esque’ coffee maker has ‘pods’ available in the vending machine for a quick blast of caffeine! With all the studying that goes on, munchies are a constant companion to homework, along with music and Facebook. However, when you get the urge to bring some snacks with you to your next big study session in the library (because let’s face it, you can’t discipline yourself well enough in the dorm lounge to get work done), I urge you to please hold back!

Our library is an awesome place with tons of books and resources that will save your life when all those research papers and projects come up. And that is why we have a ‘No food‘ rule in place. You are free to eat in the back stairwell or the front lobby, but not out in the actual library where the bookshelves are. If you can resist bringing in your latest meal from Wawa, or that bag of pretzels that always gets you through a bind, you will be keeping bugs and other yucky insects from coming in and spoiling the peaceful, quiet study environment that is the library! Drinks are always welcome, as long as you have a lid, so we don’t spill on our nice carpet. But please, if you get the craving for some munchies, leave the library to eat your latest snack. That way you don’t distract the others around you with yummy food, and you won’t bring in bugs! Yay!